Providing sustainable alternatives for a sustainable future

Uplao runs several projects in Northern Laos that aim to provide various agricultural solutions for a susatinable future. From climate change mitigation to helping develop sustainable farming methods, Uplao reaches out to villages in northern Laos helping them grow into the future.

Each project is detailed below with a brief summary. The full submitted proposals are also avaialbe for download and future insight into Uplao work and projects.

Funding for Uplao's projects come from both international organizations such as GEF SGP grants to national and local organizations working within Laos. We are constantly seeking funding, grants and partners in our work in Northern Laos.

Current Project Sites

Namvang

Viengphouka Landscape Transformation Project

Climate Smart Alternatives for a Sustainable Future

This project promotes Climate Smart Innovative Agro-Ecology: Changes in the climate can have a significant impact on agricultural production and threaten livelihood systems. This project promotes resilience in farming systems and improves the capacity of small scale farmers to respond drought and soil degradation

Namvang Nursery

Reinforcement and Expansion of Coffee Sector in Laos

Providing Sustainable Alternatives for the Upland Communities

We will introduce alternatives for unsustainable annual cropping and intensive monoculture systems. We will do so by establishing perennial agroforestry coffee sites which are characterized by a high diversity of organically produced high-value crops besides coffee. We innovate existing agricultural techniques, focussing on the enhancement and preservation of soil.  

Namvang Jungle

Increase support of coffee sector development in Laos

Supporting current projects in the Upland Communities

With the help of ADF’s RECoSeL, we wish to further expand and enhance our project and upscale this project. We want to further enhance capacities through technical training, focussing on sustainable value chain development and quality production. We will furthermore establish sustainable commercial partnerships through farmer organization and capacity development.

NamvangKids
Namvang
Contour

Intervention Scopes

Agricultural Production Sytems and Land Use

Livelihood Development

Farmer Organziation

Sustainable Value Chain Development

Donor Organization

The United Nations Development Program, Global Environmental Faculty, Small Grants Programme (UNSGP)

Viengphouka Landscape Transformation Project

Ban Namvang

Vieng Phouka District, Luang Namtha Providence

Project Goal:

It is our aim to futher create decrease pressure on (water) ecosystems and improve livelihood resilience in Namvang village.

Main Objectives:

- Introduce sustainable agroforestry systems in Ban Namvang
- Decrease dependency on single, unsustainable crops and diversify economic activities in Namvang village
- Improve agricultural techniques with focus on sustainable and organic farming practices and climate smart innovative agro-ecology
- Increase chemical and environmental awareness in Namvang village and make a contribution to wetland biodiversity conservation of the Mekong river basin
- Create a model for upland rural development and ensure further project dissemination

This project promotes Climate Smart Innovative Agro-Ecology: Changes in the climate can have a significant impact on agricultural production and threaten livelihood systems. The project strives to improve livelihood resilience of both men and women farmers while making a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation. In relation to climate change, this project promotes resilience in farming systems and improves the capacity of small scale farmers to respond drought and soil degradation. Not only does this project focus on helping the farmers adapt to climate change-triggered disasters, but it also to improves their socio-economic situation, mainly through diversification of the rural economy.

The project will be implemented in Namvang, Viengphouka district in Luang Namtha province, northern Laos. Namvang is a primarily Hmong community bordering the Nam Ha National Protected Area. With increase in plantation agriculture and human activity surrounding the NPA, but also increasingly within the NPAs boundaries, there is a clear need for sustainable land management in this area. In Namvang we will create a model that can serve other upland communities in this district. As such the project directly contributes to the community management of protected areas and improves the land biodiversity. Besides, the project area is part of the Mekong river basin and through the promotion of organic agriculture as well as chemical awareness training the project will make a contribution to wetland biodiversity conservation of the Mekong river basin.

Main Partners

The Farmers of Namvang Village | UpLao | Association of Sustainable Livellihood Development (ASLD) | Department of Agriculture and Forestry Office of Vieng Phoukha District (DAFO)

Implementation Period

November 2017 - November 2019


Village Population

1245

Household Joined

20

Land Alloted

150,000 m²

Current Budget

$50,000

Download Full Proposal

Reinforcement and Expansion of Coffee Sector in Laos (RECoSel)

Ban Khanvang

Beng District, Oudomxai Province

Project Goal:

It is our aim to create sustainable livelihoods by introducing agroforestry coffee production and promoting sustainable agricultural practices that are both beneficial to the community as the environment. The village of Khanvang will serve as a pilot for other Chomteuan mountain communities such as Katangchong and Kon Lang.

Main Objectives:

- Increase local income through agroforestry coffee production, capacity training and value chain development
- Increase livelihood resilience through diversification of rural economy by introducing locally appropriate, high value inter-crops (besides coffee)
- Provide alternatives for non-sustainable high intensive crop farming and slash & burn agriculture by training sustainable agricultural techniques that focus on soil improvement and preservation.
- Make a contribution to sustainable value chain development by establishing a full equipped processing facility including training.
- Create a model for the upland rural development for all Chomteuan mountain communities namely Katangchong and Kon Lang

With the participation of the District Agriculture and Forestry Office (DAFO), UpLao technical experts and the farmers from Khanvang, we want to provide sustainable alternatives to swidden agriculture and encourage fixed organic agricultural practices combined with the introduction of several high value crops. We will establish perennial agroforestry systems that support a larger variety of flora and fauna. Hence we will improve livelihood resilience of both upland women and men farmers and make a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation at the same time. We will promote sustainable land management through tree planting, diversify local rural economy through the introduction of alternative (cash) crops, and improve farm productivity by introducing soil improving techniques. We will develop the local value chain by setting up processing facilities, improve farmer organization and link producers to consumers through setting up equal partnerships with national retailers

Overall the project will respond to the possible effects of global warming for this area by promoting sustainable land management practices and, more practical, by planting trees. Besides coffee Arabica we will introduce other high value crops making farmers more resistant to possible price-drops or crop failure by natural causes. In the long term we will make a contribution to move from shifting cultivation towards sustainable perennial agricultural practices in this district. We will further involve the neighboring district agriculture & forestry departments of Xai and Nammor in the form of for capacity trainings (e.g. technical trainings regarding in all fields of coffee production (growing, maintaining, harvesting & processing).

Main Partners

The Farmers of Khanvang Village | UpLao Agricultural Promotion Company (UPLAO) | Department of Agriculture and Forestry Office of Beng District (DAFO) | The Lao PDR Ministry of Agriculture (MAF)

Implementation Period

November 2018 - November 2020


Village Population

905

Household Joined

20

Land Alloted

100,000 m²

Current Budget

$59,166

Download Full Proposal
Namvang Jungle LNTCoffee
LNTTraining

Intervention Scopes

Agricultural Production Sytems and Land Use

Livelihood Development

Farmer Organziation

Sustainable Value Chain Development

Donor Organization

Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

Namvang Lahu Intercrop Rice
Namvang Cardamom

Intervention Scopes

Agricultural Production Sytems and Land Use

Livelihood Development

Farmer Organziation

Sustainable Value Chain Development

Donor Organization

Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

Increase support of coffee sector development in Laos

Ban Namvang

Vieng Phouka District, Luang Namtha Providence

Project Goal:

It is our aim to further create sustainable livelihoods by expanding and enhancing agroforestry coffee production in Namvang village. We will further promote sustainable agricultural practices that are both beneficial to the community as the environment.

Main Objectives:

- Increase local income through agroforestry coffee production, capacity training and value chain development
- Increase livelihood resilience through diversification of rural economy by introducing locally appropriate, high value inter-crops (besides coffee)
- Provide alternatives for non-sustainable high intensive crop farming and slash & burn agriculture by training sustainable agricultural techniques that focus on soil improvement and preservation.
- Make a contribution to sustainable value chain development by establishing a full equipped processing facility including training.

Funded by the French Development Agency (AFD), RECoSeL project and its CDN component aims at supporting the emergence of coffee value chain based on sustainable production and emphasizing livelihoods improvement of the rural communities. Coffee is emerging in Northern provinces after first initiatives of introduction in the early 2000’s, which showed the suitability of Lao uplands for growing quality coffee. Even so, this context differs from Southern areas and the development of coffee production or value chain faces several limiting factors of accessibility, lack of infrastructure, or farming systems marked by subsistence activities or rapid exhaustion of natural resources. In such conditions, circulation of technical knowledge and access to market are limited; coffee production and commerce are still quite unknown while farmers became reluctant to new cash crops after series of disappointments.

For this project we work with the farmers of Namvang which is a primarily Hmong and Lahu community bordering the Nam Ha National Protected Area, an area with significant ecological value. The villagers of Namvang predominantly depend on agriculture and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) for their livelihoods. They cultivate steep slopes by rotational burning, with upland rice as the predominant subsistence crop. This form of agriculture is very labour-intensive and takes up huge areas of land, as soils need a long time until their original productivity is recovered. Shortening recovery periods of fallow lands as well as the cultivation of high intensive crops (such as maize) deplete soils. The natural resource base on which this community depends is increasingly becoming degraded as a result of this unsustainable exploitation. Very few other options are available in terms of growing crops for food and income. As such the poverty level and livelihood vulnerability is relatively high.

Main Partners

The Farmers of Namvang Village | UpLao Agricultural Promotion Company (UPLAO) | Department of Agriculture and Forestry Office of Vieng Phoukha District (DAFO) | The Lao PDR Ministry of Agriculture (MAF)

Implementation Period

November 2018 - November 2020


Village Population

1245

Household Joined

20

Land Alloted

100,000 m²

Current Budget

$58,558

Download Full Proposal

Working across Northern Laos

Uplao works across various villages in Northern Laos, working to bring a sustainable future 

Cover Image

Current Projects

This projects are currently funded and operational. Some have funding for a few years, while others only a few months

Proposed Projects

These areas we would like to secure funding and grants. We are looking for ways to raise money and reach out to these villages

Past Projects

These projects are finished or have exhausted the alloted funds for the project. They are not forgotten but used as suscess stories!

"We cannot accomplish all that we need to do without working together. "

Uplao Logo

Providing a Sustainable Future
for Upland communities in Laos

Uplao Foundation
Leiden, Netherlands
Luang Namtha, Laos


+31 (0)638681843
uplao.community@gmail.com